Benjamin E. Allen joined Parnassus Investments in July 2005. He began his career as a financial analyst in Morgan Stanley's investment banking division before moving into the firm's venture capital group. Mr. Allen received an AB in Government from Georgetown University and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley.

Benjamin will be speaking on the panel Capital Flow & Sustainable Brands: How Investors are Driving New Opportunity

Over the past 25 years, Phil Berry has helped more than 400 organizations on five continents create more innovative and sustainable products, services, operations and supply chains. Most recently, Phil spent 11 years with Nike where he was part of the leadership team that designed, developed and implemented Nike’s environmental programs. From 1999 through 2007, Phil was Director of Footwear Sustainability.  In 2005, Phil was part of the team that earned the prestigious Gold Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) from Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) for the Considered Boot.  In 2006, Business Ethics Magazine named Nike’s environmental program the best corporate environmental program in the United States.  In 2007, Phil was chosen by Al Gore’s Climate Project as one of the 1,000 people globally to be personally trained by Al Gore to deliver his climate change presentation.  Phil also hosts SLM's Sustainable Sourcing Weekly which you can view and/or subscribe to here:

Steve leads the sustainability domain at IDEO. In this role, he focuses on applying design thinking to the issues of sustainability for IDEO clients as well as IDEO itself. As a lead in both product and interaction design, Steve's experience ranges across several industries including automotive, consumer products, and medical devices. He's helped design high end office furniture, packaging, instrument panels for hybrid electric vehicles, and medical injection devices, for which he holds patents. Steve currently leads sustainability efforts at IDEO's headquarters in Palo Alto.  In 2007, he launched a new course at Stanford on sustainable design and is developing a sustainable design program for the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (the "d.school"). Steve holds a BA in Film and Media from the Univeristy of Texas, Austin and a Master's Degree in Product Design from Stanford.

Steve will be leading the workshop Desirability and Sustainability: the Opportunity for Brand and Design

Steve Bolton assists MBDC's (www.mbdc.com ) clients through the visioning and implementation of Cradle to Cradle(SM) for their operations and stakeholder outreach. Steve manages the firm's activities for active and prospective clients, both for-profit and governmental. He delivers workshops on applying the Cradle to Cradle framework, works with clients and their suppliers to collect ingredient data for products to be certified, supports clients in developing strategic goals and messaging for their sustainability initiatives, and helps leverage organizational change for ecologically-intelligent design.

Steve will be moderating the panel Implementing the Cradle to Cradle Framework as a Brand Strategy

Samantha brings more than 20 years’ experience in communications and marketing to her role leading the communications team at Earthbound Farm. She oversees the company’s communications programs, from strategic branding and advertising to interactive electronic media; she’s one of the company’s most visible spokespersons and first point of contact for the media. Samantha graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in communications from UC San Diego. Prior to joining Earthbound Farm in 2003, she was senior copywriter and project manager for the Wadsworth Group/Thomson Publishing.

Samantha will be speaking on the panel De-commoditizing through Sustainability

Autodesk provides design innovation software to millions of architects, engineers and designers who are creating the built world- from buildings and cars to bridges and shoes. Believing that design plays a critical role in creating a more sustainable future, Lynelle joined Autodesk in 2007 to launch and lead a sustainability program focused both on integrating sustainable design into the software tools and optimizing the company’s environmental footprint. One of her goals is to give customers the ability to make sustainable design decisions early in the design process. Previously, Lynelle spent seven years building a Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility (CSER) program at Hewlett Packard. Early in her tenure at HP, she helped launch the company’s Design for Environment program, established a company-wide environmental strategy council, and catalyzed an external stakeholder advisory board. Before joining the private sector, Lynelle worked in the environmental nonprofit sector for more than seven years with The Mountain Institute, World Wildlife Fund, National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), and the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. Lynelle is on the Board of Directors of the Biomimicry Institute and on the Advisory Board of Net Impact. She holds an M.B.A from UC Berkeley, an M.S. from University of Michigan, and a B.A. from Middlebury College. She is a published author of several articles and chapters concerning business and sustainability.

Lynelle will be speaking on the panel New Tools for Building More Sustainable Brands

As Director of Yahoo! for Good, the company’s Social Responsibility department, Ms. Carlson is responsible for leading Yahoo!’s environmental strategy and corporate social responsibility programs. Her primary focus is inspiring Yahoo!’s audience of over 500 million people to be more green in their daily lives through use of Yahoo! products. She helped guide the development of a new Yahoo! Green site to encourage people to take eco-friendly actions and has driven the creation of Yahoo! Earth Day sites since 2005. She also spearheaded Yahoo!’s worldwide initiative to become carbon neutral and rallied grassroots efforts by launching a Green Team of hundreds of employees across the globe. Prior to joining Yahoo!, Ms. Carlson worked at Nike Inc. in Apparel Sustainability and at Business for Social Responsibility as Environment Program Manager. She began her career at the environmental engineering consulting firm Tetra Tech EM Inc. She holds a BA in Human Biology/Environmental Management from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley.

Erin will be speaking on the topic Greening your company from the inside and out: Inspiring your employees, customers, and facilities

Scot Case is an internationally recognized expert on responsible sourcing, green supply chains, and environmental marketing with almost 15 years of professional experience. As Vice President of TerraChoice, Scot helps connect retailers and consumers seeking more environmentally and socially responsible products with the manufacturers supplying them.  As a consultant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he wrote an extensive series of reports documenting the growing environmental purchasing movement.  In 2002, he helped launch the North American Green Purchasing Initiative (NAGPI), a network of organizations working to accelerate the demand for safer, more environmentally preferable products. In 2005, he launched the Responsible Purchasing Network, a group of influential purchasers using their purchasing power to buy better goods and services. He is also a founding board member of the International Green Purchasing Network.

Scot will be speaking on the topic Establishing Credibility. Avoiding Greenwash.

Valerie Casey heads a global practice at IDEO, where she designs socially and environmentally sustainable products, services, and business models for companies around the world. Valerie founded the Designers Accord, a call to arms for the creative community to reduce the negative impact caused by design, and to work collaboratively to inspire change in the design industry and in consumer behavior. Valerie has published and lectured on design throughout the international community, and is an adjunct professor at California College of the Arts. She holds a master's degree in cultural theory and design from Yale University, and a BA from Swarthmore College.

Valerie will be moderating the panel The Designers Accord: Perspectives on How Sustainability is Pushing Design

Robert Chatwani oversees strategic planning, operations, marketing and business development for eBay’s newest community focused on socially responsible shopping. WorldofGood.com is dedicated to providing a trusted platform where individuals can create positive change through commerce, as part of a global community. Formerly a Senior Manager on eBay’s Internet Marketing team, Robert spearheaded the company’s search optimization relationships with Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft. Robert joined eBay in 2003 as Manager of Platform Strategy, where he helped to transform eBay into the world’s largest Web services platform. Prior to eBay, Robert was the Co-founder and COO of MonkeyBin, the leading software company to the global barter & corporate trading industry. Before MonkeyBin, Robert worked in management consulting at McKinsey & Company, where he served Fortune 500 companies and helped start McKinsey’s Globalization Practice.

Robert will be speaking on the topic Leveraging the Power of Partnership to Create a Global Brand

Eric Corey Freed is principal of organicARCHITECT, an architecture and consulting firm in San Francisco, with over 15 years of experience in green building. Eric teaches the Sustainable Design program he developed at the Academy of Art University and University of California Berkeley. He is on the boards of Architects, Designers & Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR), Green Home Guide and West Coast Green, as well as the advisory boards of nearly a dozen other organizations. He was the founding Chair of Architecture for The San Francisco Design Museum and one of the founders of ecoTECTURE: The Online Journal of Ecological Design. His monthly column at GreenerBuildings.com is syndicated to over a dozen other publications. Eric lectures around the country at 40+ conferences a year, and his work has been featured in Dwell, Metropolis, Town & Country, Natural Home and Newsweek. When Eric was just 25 years old, noted architect and critic Philip Johnson described him as "one of the real brains of his generation". Eric is the author of "Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies" (John Wiley & Sons), a best seller with 50,000 copies in print. organicARCHITECT is considered leaders in the field; named by San Francisco Magazine "Best Green Architect" in 2005 and "Best Visionary" in 2007; and "Green Visionary" by 7x7 Magazine in 2008.

Eric will be moderating the panel Brand Successes from the Green Building Industry

Fabien Cousteau, Undersea Explorer

Always seeking the thrill of discovery, even as a child, he was part of the crew of his grandfather's storied ships, Calypso and Alcyone at the age of 12. Since then he has been collecting priceless experiences during expeditions to exotic places. The combination of his fieldwork and a degree in environmental economics from Boston University has developed his strong belief that discipline can be the basis for innovative solutions that reconcile regional and global environmental problems with western market economies.   It is with this thought that he set out to show what could be done in the business world. He joined Seventh Generation, a leading environmental products development company, where he successfully spearheaded new product development and new business projects. Having proven his skills in business, he decided to return to his deep-rooted family passion for exploration. He has joined his father, Jean-Michel, and Deep Ocean Odyssey, as the third generation to carry on the tradition of adventure and exploration in the deep ocean, pioneered by his grandfather more than half a century ago.

Fabien will be a special guest speaker at the Special Event! An Evening in Historic Monterey

Lucas Daniel is a Lead at gravitytank, where he manages the strategic direction on a wide variety of projects, from trend work to future platform strategy to product design direction for clients ranging from Samsung, OfficeMax, Motorola and Sam’s Club. Prior to his work with gravitytank, Lucas received his Master of Design degree in Design Planning from the Institute of Design. He has a diverse background in interaction design, writing, and anthropology. He holds a BA in Anthropology from UC Berkeley, where he focused his studies on California Indian culture.

Lucas will be speaking on the panel The Designers Accord: Perspectives on How Sustainability is Pushing Design

Jeff Dlott, President and CEO, SureHarvest

SureHarvest is a company that provides agrifood customers with software systems and sustainability professional services. He received his Ph.D. in 1993 from the UC Berkeley in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management for his natural and social science research on sustainable agricultural practices development and adoption. Jeff leads SureHarvest professional services practice providing clients with strategic and tactical services in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of agrifood sustainability programs. Starting in 2001, he served as the led architect on strategy, design and execution of the award-winning California Sustainable Winegrowing Program (SWP), a joint program of the Wine Institute, the California Association of Winegrape Growers and the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (www.sustainablewinegrowing.org).
Jeff is currently working with the Almond Board of California, California Avocado Commission, California Pear Advisory Board, California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, Markon Cooperative and others on sustainability initiatives. He is the incoming President of Protected Harvest, an organization with the principal mission of advancing and certifying the use of sustainable agriculture systems through the development of stringent, transparent, and quantifiable standards. Under his leadership, SureHarvest has developed and commercialized farming, food safety, and sustainability management information systems (MIS). The company’s sustainable winegrowing MIS has generating confidential customized sustainable practices benchmark reports for more than 1,200 California winegrowers and vintners representing more than 50% of the state’s acreage and wine production. Dr. Dlott has authored peer-reviewed academic journal articles and book chapters as well as numerous client reports and trade journal articles.


Jeff will be speaking on the panel New Tools for More Sustainable Brands

Averill Doering, Manager of Consumer Insights & Strategy, Umbria

As Umbria’s manager of consumer insights and strategy, Averill Doering manages client projects from scope through completion. She consults with Umbria’s corporate clients to develop and execute social media research strategies that involve mining data from the blogosphere and boardosphere. She then synthesizes the data to produce actionable recommendations that steer marketing and business initiatives. Averill also leads Umbria’s environmental sustainability research and thought leadership. Prior to joining Umbria, Averill was a brand strategist for Interbrand Corporation, where she managed global branding and marketing projects aimed at building emotional connections with consumers and influencing their purchasing behavior. Averill holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Dartmouth College.

Averill will be presenting research on Insight From the Blogosphere - Current Analysis on Green Consumer Conversation

As Chief Executive Officer, Janet Eden-Harris oversees the strategic direction of Umbria Inc. Janet joined Umbria in May 2006 from leading, multinational information services company, Information Resources Inc. (IRI). As Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at IRI, she was responsible for global marketing operations, product management and strategy. Previously, Janet spent more than a decade directing marketing initiatives at i2 Technologies, a leading provider of supply chain management solutions for multiple industries including CPG and retail. Prior to i2, she was Chief Marketing Officer for Aspect Development, which was acquired by i2 to become one of the largest mergers in software history. IRI Chairman, Romesh Wadhwani, was founder and CEO of Aspect Development.  Prior to Aspect, Janet headed marketing for CADIS, a start-up company, providing parts management solutions and early business applications, which was acquired by Aspect Development. Janet holds a BA degree in Journalism and Marketing from the University of Oregon.

Janet will be presenting research on Insight From the Blogosphere - Current Analysis on Green Consumer Conversation

Steve Emery, President & CEO, EARTH2O Bottled Water Co.

Steve Emery is President & CEO of EARTH2O Bottled Water Co, located in Central Oregon. Current other involvements include the Chairman of the Governor's Small Business Council and Director of Oregon Trout. Steve received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. His prior work experience includes 8 years with E&J Gallo Winery, with his final position as Director of Sales Gallo Europe. Additionally, Steve held the position of Vice President/General Manager of Columbia Distributing Co.

Steve will be speaking on the topic De-commoditizing Through Sustainability

Julie Fasone Holder assumed her current position as Corporate Vice President, Chief Marketing, Sales and Reputation Officer in January of 2008. She is a member of the company's Management Committee, serves on the Sustainability and People operational teams, and has executive oversight for Dow's activities in the United States. In her 30-year career with Dow, Fasone Holder has held a variety of commercial and functional leadership positions across the United States with local, national and global responsibilities. Most recently she was Business Vice President for the Specialty Plastics and Elastomers group in 2004 and in 2006, she became the corporate vice president for Public Affairs and Human Resources, along with the executive oversight for Dow's activities in Latin America. She has been recognized both within Dow and externally for her contributions. In 1999, she was awarded Dow's prestigious GENESIS Award for people excellence, which is Dow's highest recognition for people leadership. In their November/December 2006 issue, the Profiles in Diversity Journal highlighted Fasone Holder in their feature, Women Worth Watching in 2007. The National Association for Female Executives honored her as their Woman of Achievement at their January 2007 national conference.

Julie will be speaking on the topic The Human Element: Sustainability & Brand at Dow Chemical

As public relations director, Fortune has global responsibility for identifying, implementing and evaluating public relations opportunities for the company. He works with senior management to align his efforts with company strategy, and with vertical marketing communications managers to develop specific public relations initiatives for their respective markets.  Prior to joining Johnson Controls, Fortune worked at Sprint Communications in Kansas City, where he held various marketing and public relations positions, including public relations director for Sprint PCS, senior manager - internal communications, corporate communications manager and marketing communications manager of the business markets organization.

Darryll will be speaking on the topic Johnson Controls' Global Rebranding for Sustainability and on the topic Inside a Global Sustainable Rebranding Process

Katrina Frey, Director of Sales, Frey Vineyards, Ltd.

Katrina Frey is Director of Sales for Frey Vineyards, Ltd. in Redwood Valley, CA. Since founding the pioneering organic and Biodyanmic® winery in 1980 with her husband and brother-in-law, she has worn many hats: grape picker, wine bottler and office manager. The winery has grown from producing 2000 cases to 90,000 cases of organic and Biodynamic non-sulfited wines. After graduating from Earlham College in Richmond, IN in 1973, Katrina moved to northern CA where she studied Biodynamic farming under Alan Chadwick, the influential English horticulturist. Katrina serves on the Demeter Association USA board, and was past vice president of the CCOF Mendo/Lake chapter. In March 2004, Mendocino County made history by passing a citizen’s initiative to ban the propagation of genetically engineered crops and animals. Katrina was a member of the strategy team and fundraising chair. She continues to work on issues surrounding GMO’s and agricultural crops.

Katrina will be speaking on the panel Lessons Learned in Greening the Wine Industry

Lisa Friedman, Ph.D. is co-founder of the Enterprise Development Group and co-author of The Dynamic Enterprise: Tools for Turning Chaos into Strategy and Strategy into Action. She works with enterprises globally to facilitate a shared understanding of the emerging trends transforming industries, to shape vision and strategy for the future, to teach simple but powerful innovation practices and to align organizations to realize their goals. In addition to her consulting and training work, she is a frequent speaker and workshop leader on strategic thinking and change management, creating value through innovation, future-driven leadership and sustainable enterprise. She coordinates EDG client exchanges and designs EDG’s innovation tours, bringing leaders from around the world to Silicon Valley to explore examples of innovation throughout the enterprise.

Lisa will be leading the workshop Enduring Value: William McDonough's Approach to Innovation & Design

Gil Friend is founder, president & CEO of Natural Logic Inc, a sustainability consultancy helping companies build economic advantage through exceptional environmental performance. Clients have included Agilent Technologies, General Mills, Gilead Sciences, Granite Construction, Green Mountain Energy, Hewlett Packard, Nike, Odwalla, Pacific Gas & Electric, Sun Microsystems, and many others. A systems ecologist and business strategist with 35 years experience in business, communications and environmental innovation, Friend combines broad business experience with unique content experience spanning strategy, systems ecology, economic development, management cybernetics, and public policy. Tomorrow Magazine called him One of the country’s leading environmental management consultants - a real expert who combines theoretical sophistication with hands-on, in-the-trenches know-how. Friend lectures widely on business strategy and environmental policy, and writes "The New Bottom Line," a monthly column on business strategy; an irregular weblog on strategic sustainability and other matters of interest at blogs.natlogic.com/friend; contributes to Sustainable Life Media.com, GreenBiz.com, and WorldChanging.com; and a forthcoming book: Risk, Fiduciary Responsibility and the Laws of Nature. He holds an MS in Systems Ecology from Antioch University, a black belt in Aikido, and is a seasoned practitioner of "The Natural Step" environmental management system.

Gil will be speaking on the panel Current & Future Trends in Measuring Sustainability

Mr. Green has responsibility for IBM's worldwide brand and values experience initiatives, brand strategy and identity, design strategy and IBM’s Design Consulting Services offering for IBM clients. Mr. Green has played a pivotal role in IBM’s re-branding efforts, contributing to IBM’s current position as the third most valuable brand worldwide. His team also leads the corporation’s efforts in the area of advanced concept design working closely with IBM Research.  In his career with IBM Lee has held numerous design, communications and management positions. Recently, he has launched IBM Design Consulting Services offering, working in conjunction with IBM’s Engineering and Technology Group and with IBM Global Business Services.  Mr. Green has published numerous articles and case studies on a variety of design and identity topics. He has also taught design and branding courses at Stanford University, Harvard, MIT, and RIT. In 2004 he was named Rochester Institute of Technology Distinguished Alumni of the Year.

Lee will be speaking on the topic How IBM is Designing for a Sustainable Future

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO, GOOD

Jonathan Greenblatt is the chief executive officer of GOOD, a successful social entrepreneur and an acknowledged thought leader on ethical branding. GOOD, an integrated media company for people who want to live well and do good, is one of the fastest growing media brands on the market. GOOD is an editorially-led, member-driven community that provides content and experiences for people, businesses and organizations moving the world forward. Its portfolio currently includes an award winning print magazine, live events and an online destination updated daily with fresh editorial and short-form video features. Launched in September 2006, GOOD has received equal recognition for its creative sensibility, commercial success and social impact, such as the Choose GOOD campaign which has directed almost $750,000 in subscription revenue to a diverse roster of leading nonprofits around the world. Prior to his appointment to GOOD, Greenblatt co-founded Ethos Water, the premium bottled water that helps children around the world get clean water. In 2005, Starbucks Coffee Company acquired Ethos Water, making it one of only a handful of non-coffee businesses the company has purchased in its 30-plus year history. Greenblatt served as vice president of consumer products, scaling Ethos’ through more than 6,000 Starbucks stores across the US. Today, the brand is distributed to more than 50,000 retail locations and ranks among the fastest growing brands in the bottled water category. Greenblatt also joined the board of directors of the Starbucks Foundation and developed Ethos’ global investment strategy that has invested millions of dollars to bring clean water to communities in need around the world. Perhaps more importantly, Ethos currently reaches more than 40 million consumers every week, raising awareness about water and sanitation issues and planting the seeds for long-term social change.

Jonathan will be leading the closing session Leading from the Heart

As Vice President of Business Development for CENTRIA, Rich is responsible for company wide business development activities, primarily focusing on creating new market opportunities for CENTRIA’s broad range of product offerings. During nearly 30 years’ experience on the CENTRIA team, Rich has held several positions. He first served as a Regional Sales Manager, then as Divisional Sales Manager before transitioning to Vice President of International Sales and, most recently, to his current post. Guinn earned his MBA from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, and his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

Richard will be speaking on the panel Implementing the Cradle to Cradle Framework as a Brand Strategy

Laszlo Gyorffy is President of the Enterprise Development Group in Palo Alto, California - an international consulting firm that specializes in strategy development and implementation for groups facing complex change. He has successfully consulted in the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Laszlo has spent the last 16+ years applying his innovation, change leadership, and training expertise across a variety of industries (e.g., high technology, energy, consumer business, health care and the public sector) to enhance organizational performance. A certified instructional designer and trainer, Laszlo recently collaborated with William McDonough (internationally acclaimed green designer, architect, and author), to bring Enduring Value: William McDonough’s Approach to Breakthrough Thinking to the market place. The program covers the core concepts of the Next Industrial Revolution and provides tools, techniques, and examples for how to apply Cradle-to-Cradle Design principles to reinvent your business. Laszlo and his team guide the dialogue beyond traditional sustainability doctrine, equipping participants with the expertise they need to create new products, processes, and places that allow both business and nature to thrive and grow. Prior to joining the Enterprise Development Group, he spent three years with Deloitte Consulting in their Change Leadership practice. Laszlo holds a Masters of Science in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from San Diego State University.

Laszlo will be leading the workshop Enduring Value: William McDonough's Approach to Innovation & Design

As co-founder and CEO, Priya Haji is the award-winning leader of World of Good, Inc., a nationally distributed fair trade gift company with more than 1,000 retail partners including Whole Foods and Wild Oats. Priya knew she wanted to build a company that impacted women on a global scale and started developing the idea during her MBA program at the Haas School of Business. While traveling the world, meeting women artisans, she learned that their universal challenge to achieving economic sustainability was access to larger consumer markets. Since 2004, World of Good has worked with more than 6,000 of these artisans in 34 countries who, by a conservative estimate, are responsible for more than 25,000 dependents. World of Good, Inc. also donates 10% of its profits to its sister non-profit, the World of Good: Development Organization and that money is reinvested in artisan communities for health and education initiatives. Most recently, Priya received a Social Innovation Award from the Social Venture Network for her vision to change the way the world does business. In her 20s Priya Haji was co-founder and Executive Director of Free at Last in East Palo Alto, a national model program to address substance abuse related issues. With $10 million in special investments and a team of 60 the organization grew to span services reaching 3,000 people per year. For her work with Free at Last, Priya was recognized by the DoSomething Foundation, MTV and Mademoiselle Magazine as one of America’s Ten Most Outstanding Young Leaders.

Priya will be speaking on the topic Leveraging the Power of Partnership to Create a Global Brand

Paul combines a proven track record as a successful entrepreneur, lecturer at Oxford University, trainer and author. For many years he was the owner and Chairman of a successful computer recruitment business, Laser, in the UK which achieved annual sales of over $50 million in 2000.  He is co-founder of a new environmental executive search and consultancy firm called Bright Green Talent which has offices in London and San Francisco. In 2006 his first book, Take Charge of your Mind, which he co-authored with John Selby, was published by Hampton Roads. His second book, The Magic of Groundhog Day, was published by Waterside Press in February 2008 and shows how an extraordinary movie can lead to an extraordinary life. 

Paul will be speaking on the topic Winning the War for Talent: How the Right Environmental Strategy Will Attract, Engage and Retain the Best Talent

Cheryl has had successful careers in design, advertising and branding, and draws on this unique, integrated perspective to help clients embed corporate responsibility into their cultures, and engage their internal and customer stakeholders in it.  She was recently nominated for the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Communication Design.  Her deep, diverse experience working with corporations has included the launch of three new divisions for Reebok, and major repositioning efforts for Kodak Professional, Bayer Corporation, The Girl Scouts of America, Cemex, Ford Motor Company, Seagrams, Engelhard Corporation and Sappi. She led the launch of a new global network for Discovery Networks International.  She is currently helping to launch a new NGO with Dr. Paul Polack, called D-Rev: Design for the other 90%, and will serve as its Chief Creative Officer.

Cheryl will be leading the workshop Design your Sustainable Brand: A workshop in the Creative Process

The world's $140 trillion in investments are under-performing until all currencies (e.g. rupee, real, rand, euro, yen, dollar) generate both Human Impact + Profit (HIP) simultaneously. Paul founded HIP Investor to spread and implement this vision of a world that is socially, environmentally and financially sustainable. HIP Investor serves corporations and CEOs, entrepreneurs, and individual and institutional investors to realize their potential to be HIP.
Previously, Paul was Director of Strategy for eBay founder Pierre Omidyar's Network to help shape the future of its for-profit and non-profit investments and portfolio impact. Paul's achievements as Chief Development Officer of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public included leading the global team to grow revenue from $12 million to nearly $20 million in two years, and expanding the North America Fellowship program, now numbering 60 systems-changing social entrepreneurs, known as Fellows (one-third of whom are in the San Francisco Bay Area).
Born and raised in Chicago, Paul has become a "citizen of the world" by living and working in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Paul is a passionate entrepreneur and has led, managed and grown innovative ideas and organizations from scratch. Paul co-founded and sold a financial-services company for teens, kids and parents, reaching 30,000 customers, 55 business partners, and enabling a living platform for financial literacy and privacy protection.
Paul also has advised Fortune 500 companies world-wide with McKinsey & Company and CSC Index; founded the New York Chapter of Coalition for Quality Children's Media which teaches youth media literacy; serves on the Board of Advisors for Design That Matters, a product-design firm to help low-income citizens globally,and is an Advisor to a global network of HIP-focused professionals and students ( www.NetImpact.org).
Paul graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and now lives in San Francisco, with his wife Gayle, a travel/food writer ( www.GayleKeck.com) and branding/marketing expert.

Alex only ever wanted to be a rock star. Since the Replacements are long gone and KISS isn’t hiring, he leads the backstage management of Changents. Alex is an entertainment business development and management specialist who drives the tour bus at Changents. He got his start in the industry 15 years ago heading up live concert tours for major label artists like Radiohead, PJ Harvey and The BoDeans, while rocking out with his own band in the offhours. Alex is no stranger to online business (ad)ventures and pioneering. His music tours segued into consulting and project management gigs with Sony Online Entertainment,Mattel Online and Disney/ABC Cable Networks Group - where he initiated the Internet advertising and e-commerce referral businesses on DisneyChannel.com in addition to producing dozens of original Internet entertainment and marketing features. Before jumping off the proverbial start-up cliff, Alex was Senior Director of Digital Ventures at PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), where he launched the advertising business on pbs.org - one of most highlytrafficked dot org sites on the Internet. Alex’s pioneering spirit is also evidenced by his westward-expansion education tactics: an MBA from UCLA Anderson followed a BA at University of Wisconsin - Madison. Changents is now live and on tour in your city every day. Alex keeps our journey directed, cool and knows the worthwhile spots to stop along the way.

Alex will be moderating the panel Leveraging Social Networks to Build Brand and Drive Change

Ms. Holding's 16-year-old brand strategy firm has focused on the integration of brands and CSR since 2001. In order to offer clients an evaluation tool for measuring their progress, she has developed a way to measure the impact of CSR on brands by merging 20 years of brand and SRI data. She is Chair of the HBS Club of NYC Social Enterprise Summit and a member of the International Women's Forum.  Prior to founding Holding Associates, Ms. Holding served as an executive in communications firms McCann Erickson and Siegel + Gale and developed new consumer products as a VP at Citibank. She holds a BA in Economics from Smith College and an MBA from Harvard.

Carol will be moderating the panel Capital Flow & Sustainable Brands: How Investors are Driving New Opportunity

Jeffrey Hollender, President and Corporate Responsibility Officer, Seventh Generation Inc.

Jeffrey Hollender is a well-respected leader in the socially and environmentally responsible communities.  Jeffrey has led Seventh Generation from its humble beginnings to its current position as the nation’s leading and fastest growing brand of natural home and personal care products, and the leading authority on issues related to making a positive difference in the health of the planet and its inhabitants through our everyday choices.  Jeffrey is a member and former Director of the Social Venture Network, a group of socially-conscious business executives. He co-founded and was a Director of Community Capital Bank, a New York financial institution that invests in affordable housing and community development. Hollender served as President of The Rainforest Foundation USA from 1992 to 1996, an organization created to protect the rainforest and the human rights of its indigenous peoples. He also served as a Board member and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility.

Jeffery will be speaking on the topic Culture As Brand: Engaging Your Workforce to Build Your Brand

Anya Kamenetz, Staff Writer, Fast Company

Kamenetz is a New York City-based journalist, author, and blogger. She covers the future of business, including sustainability and social entrepreneurship, as a staff writer for Fast Company magazine, and writes the Generation Debt column as a finance expert for Yahoo! Finance. Generation Debt (Riverhead Books, 2006), her first book, was called "bold and thought-provoking" by the LA Times. It covers the startling range of economic upheavals facing young people in their 20s and 30s: the rising cost of higher education, soaring student loan and credit card debt, an increasingly uncertain job market, health care and retirement worries, and international competition. She appears regularly on media outlets including CBS, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, CSPAN, and NPR’s Bryant Park Project, commenting on financial, social, and political issues faced by young people, as well as design, technology, and sustainability.

Anya is moderating the discussion The New Social Ethic, Making Sustainability Personal

Maria Kamin, Product Manager, Research KLD

Ms. Kamin manages research products and development processes, including SOCRATES, for KLD. She previously covered a portfolio of consumer retail companies and worked with the international SiRi consortium. Prior to joining KLD, Maria spent several years in non-profit and government settings in the U.S. and abroad. She volunteered with WorldTeach in Ecuador and conducted research in Mexico. Ms. Kamin holds a Masters of Pacific International Affairs from the University of California, San Diego, where she was awarded fellowships from the William Hearst Foundation, the Robinson Fellowship and the Hans W. Schoepflin Fellowship. She earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science with Latin American Studies from Tufts University.

Maria will be speaking on the panel Capital Flow & Sustainable Brands: How Investors are Driving New Opportunity

Paul Katzeff, Founder & CEO, Thanksgiving Coffee Company

Paul Katzeff founded Thanksgiving Coffee with his wife Joan in 1972. From the beginning, Thanksgiving Coffee was a pioneer in transforming the coffee business. The company philosophy blends business and politics; their goal is to be a force for change in support of social and economic justice, and environmental sustainability. The Thanksgiving Coffee commitment to total quality imagines trading relationships that empower farmers to produce incredible coffee, and also connects coffee drinkers with the knowledge that they can change the world through their coffee purchases. Pauland his team at Thanksgiving Coffee are industry expertis in shade grown coffee, fair trade coffee and organic farming techniques.

Paul will be speaking on the panel On the Path to Carbon Neutrality

Tatyana Kjellberg, Manager of Strategic Programs, Product Take Back, The Hewlett Packard Company

Tatyana Kjellberg joined Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 1998. She is the Manager of Strategic Programs within HP’s Americas Product Take Back (APTB) organization and is responsible for HP’s recycling programs and planning. Tatyana coordinates the HP Planet Partners return and recycling program, ensuring easy and convenient recycling efforts for customers. These programs account for in excess of four million pounds of hardware and supplies being responsibly recycled each month. She also drives communications for HP’s North American recycling programs, including events, customer inquires and marketing materials. APTB is HP’s award winning electronic hardware recycling organization with facilities in the U.S., Latin America and Canada. Tatyana holds an MBA from the University of California at Davis, and a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics.

Tatyana will be speaking on the panel How A Take-Back Program Can Improve the Environment, Your Company’s Image and the Bottom Line

Nick Kulibaba, Senior Development Officer, International Union for Conservation of Nature

Nick Kulibaba is a Senior Development Officer of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s largest conservation organization. During his career he has carried out international investment strategy development and risk assessment for companies in the manufacturing, extraction and agribusiness sectors. He has also been an advisor to numerous regional organizations in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.

Nick is participating in our special Gala Night!

Before joining Nelson Capital Management in 2004, Mr. Kurtz was senior vice president and research analyst at Harris Bretall Sullivan & Smith, a San Francisco money management firm. Previously, he was Senior Research Analyst at KLD. While at KLD, he did much of the initial quantitative work in the development of the Domini Social Index. Mr. Kurtz serves as a Research Fellow at the Center for Responsible Business at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, where he administers the Moskowitz Research Program, including the Moskowitz Prize. He received an MBA in Finance from Babson College and holds BA degrees in English and Psychology from Vassar College.

Lloyd will be speaking on the panel Capital Flow & Sustainable Brands: How Investors are Driving New Opportunity

Joe was a founding partner of SEED Systems, a consultancy dedicated to learning and action for sustainable enterprise, applying systems thinking, scientific frameworks and organizational learning to foster innovation in companies engaging with environmental and social issues. In partnership with the Society for Organizational Learning, (SoL) (www.solonline.org) Mr. Laur along with colleagues Peter Senge and Sara Schley established the SoL Sustainability Consortium (www.solsustainability.org), an active group of industry leaders in learning and sustainability. This consortium includes members from BP, Ford, Coca Cola, Harley-Davidson, UTC, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Nike, 7th Generation, Waste Management and more. learning courses and conferences with Amory Lovins, Paul Hawken, William McDonough, John Elkington, Janine Benyus and Michael Braungart, and others. Mr. Laur has worked with whole systems change for over 30 years and is a certified practitioner of Structural Integration, an applied physiology practice invoking whole systems change in human body structures. He received his BFA in 1975 from the University of Wisconsin. He is the father of 5 children.

Joe will be speaking on the panel Leveraging Social Networks to Build Brand and Drive Change

A veteran in the commercial interiors industry and advocate for environmental sustainability, Joyce LaValle was named Senior Vice President of Marketing for Interface Americas in 2008. In her current role she combines her extensive experience and knowledge of sales and customer needs with her design-driven marketing savvy. She works closely with both internal associates and the company’s key customers in the A&D community, particularly to engage others in Mission Zeroâ„¢, which is Interface’s mission to become sustainable and reduce and/or eliminate its environmental footprint by the year 2020. Most recently she served as senior vice president of associate and customer engagement, responsible for developing and enhancing initiatives designed to strengthen the company’s ties among associates and customers. She has also served as Senior Vice President of Human Services where she was responsible for the company's internal and external communications activities, division identity, internal branding, human resources and people development programs including social equity initiatives within the company.

Joyce will be speaking on the panel Leveraging Social Networks to Build Brand and Drive Change and on the topic Winning the War for Talent: How the Right Environmental Strategy Will Attract, Engage and Retain the Best Talent

Mark joined SustainAbility as a Director of the US business in 2004 to help grow the organization’s profile in North America and was appointed CEO in late 2005. He is responsible for creating a culture and providing the resources required for SustainAbility’s team to achieve its ambitious change agenda. He works directly with key clients and partners, especially in the area of strategy development where he has shaped approaches for a wide range of global companies in a variety of industries. Mark is responsible for SustainAbility’s thought leadership and represents the organization in a wide variety of sustainable development fora. Mark has served on multiple boards and committees within the sustainability and development fields for organizations including: Canadian Business for Social Responsibility; The Global Reporting Initiative; AccountAbility; The Canadian Council for International Cooperation, and; The Applied Research Centre in Human Security at Coventry University Roundtable on Sustainable Enterprise. He regularly contributes articles and inputs informed by SustainAbility’s consulting and research work to media. Mark was named by Ethisphere Magazine as one of the Most Influential People in Business Ethics for 2007.

Mark will be speaking on the topic A Global Look Into the Future of Sustainability

Throughout the past 22 years, Andy Leventhal has lead business development, strategic alliances, channel development, joint ventures, and subsidiaries for some of the most successful companies in the software industry such as EMC, Verisign and Red Hat. Andy began his career with EMC in 1986 at the forefront of the storage market, where he established beachhead offices and strategic channel partnerships throughout Western Canada, Japan and Southeast Asian territories. While based in Tokyo and leading EMC Japan and Asia, he established its initial customers, partners and team that built the largest market share position of any 3rd party peripheral vendor throughout the Pacific Rim. In 1995, as a member of the founding team at VeriSign, Andy lead the global business development efforts to establish the first and most influential network of global Certification Authorities in 10 of the world's largest markets. With partners like BT, France Telecom, Acer Taiwan, Gemplus, NTT Data, Mitsubishi and Persetel, VeriSign Affiliates established a worldwide network of the most trusted brands to issue digital certificates in every major market.

In 1999, Andy led strategic alliances and business development for Red Hat where he managed all Linux initiatives throughout HP, Intel, Oracle, Cisco and Compaq. Andy's relationships within the largest
Linux OEM's produced millions of dollars of revenue and increased brand value as Red Hat became synonymous with the global enterprise Linux standard. These strategic relationships also accelerated Red Hat's migration from a consumer "boxed" Linux vendor in 1999 to the de- facto enterprise Linux vendor of choice.

Andy will be speaking on the panel Strategies for Measuring your Carbon Footprint and on the panel New Tools for More Sustainable Brands

In addition to serving as senior vice president of Penn, Schoen & Berland, Jay Leveton is also president of PSBCreative, the firm's advertising division. Leveton has extensive experience in both high-level political research and corporate image management, including messaging, ad testing and tracking, crisis management and measuring, and corporate management consulting. At Penn, Schoen & Berland, Leveton has conducted research for major Democratic Party political clients and numerous Fortune 500 companies. He is also focused on managing the growing advertising division, serving clients through advertising media production, planning, and buying. Leveton graduated magna cum laude from American University with a bachelor's degree in political science.

Jay will be speaking on the topic Current Consumer Brand Perception: Who’s Topping, and Falling Off This Year’s Green Brand List

Monica Levy Executive Director of Brand and Corporate Communication, Johnson Controls

In her role, Ms. Levy has global responsibility for the corporation’s brand-related activity, advertising, public relations, and web content. Ms. Levy joined Johnson Controls in January of 2005. During the previous decade, she served as director of corporate brand communication and in a number of other marketing assignments at Motorola in Chicago, Illinois. Earlier in her career, she held various communications roles at Square D Company/Groupe Schneider (a global manufacturer of electrical and electronic products), a computer start-up, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She began her career with Burson-Marsteller in Washington, DC. Ms. Levy has been recognized for her expertise in visual merchandising and electronic kiosks, and has published several articles and presented at domestic and international industry conferences focused on these topics.

Monica will be speaking on the topic Johnson Controls' Global Rebranding for Sustainability and on the topic fInside a Global Sustainable Rebranding Process

Annie has 15 years of communications experience including editorial positions with national business and technology publications, and marketing communications for dozens of start up and public companies. Annie is the senior counselor to Chevron Global Lubricants and American Express and is actively involved with the marketing programs of Tastybaby, Fabrik and Spot Runner. Additionally, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the office.

In March 2007 Annie launched a global sustainability practice entirely devoted to communication strategies around the topics of sustainability, alternative energy and environmental strategy. As a Green Wolfe Annie was an integral part of American Express Partners in Preservation program, which was designed to build awareness for the need to protect our history.

Prior to C&W, Annie was Vice President of Corporate Development and Accounts Services at Wilson McHenry Company. In this position Annie was responsible for the strategy and execution of global PR programs for clients including Pioneer Electronics, Micron Electronics, Acer America and CBSSportsline.com. She began her career as an editor, working for Inc. Magazine and a variety of Ziff Davis publications.

Annie will be speaking on the topic Current Consumer Brand Perception: Who’s Topping, and Falling Off This Year’s Green Brand List

Adam Lowry believes that business is our greatest vehicle for positive social and environmental change. First and foremost an entrepreneur and change agent, Adam has a proven track record of innovation across multiple categories and consumer segments. Prior to founding Method, Adam worked as a climate scientist at the Carnegie Institution, developing software products for the study of global climate change. That experience, combined with his earlier experience designing automotive products made from biodegradable materials and recycled content, formed the nucleus of his unique approach to commercial environmentalism that forms the foundation of method’s approach today. As Chief Greenskeeper, Adam’s focus is bringing sustainable innovations to the method business. He also directs the sustainability aspects of product design, sourcing, and production, and provides strategic input for consumer marketing and the press.

Adam will be speaking on the topic Opening Pandora's Green Box, When to Market Green

Diane MacEachern has spent the last thirty years working to create the kind of world women want. As the Founder & CEO of www.biggreenpurse.com and author of the newly released Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World, she encourages women to use their consumer clout to protect the environment and human health. Her appearances on programs ranging from CNN Headline News to Live with Regis and Kathie Lee to The NBC Network Television Earth Day Special have reached millions, as have features on her work in Ladies Home Journal, Self, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, Reader's Digest, Glamour, InStyle, Plenty, Christian Science Monitor, Martha Stewart Living Radio, and Body+Soul, among others. As the co-founder and president of an award-winning communications company based in Washington, D.C., Diane's clients included the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the Earth Council, World Wildlife Fund, Earth Day, the National Wildlife Federation, Earth Share, the League of Women Voters, and the Women's Environment Development Organization.

Diane will be speaking on the topic Marketing Sustainability to Women: Obstacles and Opportunities To Make (or Break) a Green Brand for America's Most Powerful Consumers

Brenda Mathison, Director of Environmental Affairs, Best Buy

Brenda Mathison’s 23-year career in the environmental affairs industry is a testimony to her knowledge, passion and drive for her cause. During her five years s Best Buy’s Director of Environmental Affairs, she strives to heighten the company’s expertise and awareness of environmental resources and processes. Each day she aligns those resources and processes with self-imposed guidelines the company has placed upon itself to be an exemplary environmental steward. Under her leadership, Best Buy’s industry service and innovative programs have garnered national, state and local recognition. Best Buy has executed plans allowing for the collection of over 48 thousand tons last year of unwanted consumer electronics and appliances. Under her direction Best Buy continues to develop strategic plans for carbon reduction through reduction in energy use and evaluation of alternative sources of energy. In addition the efforts on waste minimization and recycling, the partnership with the USGBC on a Retail Portfolio program for LEEDs, and the management of the on-going and development programs in renewable energy, transportation, and global sourcing are driven as part of Best Buy’s overall environmental affairs program. Before joining Best Buy, Mathison served as executive vice president of Weisman Enterprises providing environmental program consultation for more than 30 national clients including Best Buy, Target, as well as other major retailers.

Brenda will be speaking on the panel How A Take-Back Program Can Improve the Environment, Your Company’s Image and the Bottom Line

Mark McElroy, Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Innovation

Mark W. McElroy is Executive Director and Chief Sustainability Officer at the non-profit Center for Sustainable Innovation (CSI) in Vermont. He is also board chair emeritus of the Sustainability Institute, also located in Vermont. For the past several years, Mr. McElroy has worked as a consultant in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability, and has assisted such firms as Ben & Jerry’s Homemade and Cabot Creamery Cooperative with their respective sustainability programs. Mr. McElroy is also affiliated with the University of Groningen in the Netherlands where he holds a 3-year faculty position as a Visiting Researcher. There he is leading a research and development effort to create cutting-edge strategies for managing, measuring, and reporting the social and environmental sustainability performance of organizations. This work also comprises the basis of Mr. McElroy’s Ph.D. dissertation, which he is scheduled to complete (at Groningen) in the spring of 2008. The main thrust of Mr. McElroy’s thesis, and of his work at CSI, is the development of a corporate sustainability reporting method known as the Social Footprint Method and the concept of sustainability quotients upon which it is based. The Social Footprint Method is an advanced corporate sustainability measurement and reporting system that arguably takes today’s leading practices in the field, including the Global Reporting Initiative, to the next level.

Mark will be leading the workshop Measuring Your Social Footprint and speaking on the panel Current & Future Trends in Measuring Sustainability

In the increasingly complicated realm of climate change, renewable energy and energy offsets, Erin Meezan is Interface, Inc.’s resident expert, helping to navigate the company’s global energy policy while staying abreast of the latest research and trends. As the Director of Sustainable Development for Interface, Erin provides technical assistance and policy support to the company’s global business units to manage the company’s aggressive energy and climate goals. She helps the company address its global warming impacts at all levels, in operations and management, with employees and customers, and in policy forums. She advises global businesses on renewable energy solutions including renewable energy purchases, on-site renewable projects and purchase of carbon offsets, which includes identification of offset projects and development of credible standards in the voluntary carbon market. She advises Interface’s Global Sustainability Council, as Chair of the renewable energy front, in keeping with the corporation’s Mission Zero promise to reduce any negative environmental impact by 2020. Erin also has an external role working with NGOs as an advisor on Boards and steering committees to develop standards and market guidance for renewable and GHG offset markets. She develops Interface’s external partnerships with environmental stakeholders including the Climate Group, the Chicago Climate Exchange and the EPA Climate Leaders program. She was part of the steering committee for the Voluntary Carbon Standard, an international committee of experts working to craft a standard for offsets; the committee includes IETA, the World Economic Forum and the Climate Group. She is on the national Board of Green-e, the third-party organization that verifies green energy projects and sets standards for renewable energy, and has been on the advisory Committee for the Center for Resources solutions GHG Offset certification standard. She also works with NGOs including the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and the World Resources Institute to develop case studies highlighting Interface’s path to sustainability.


Erin will be speaking on the panel Environmental Labeling: A Corporate Perspective

Martin Melaver, CEO, Melaver, Inc.

Martin Melaver is the CEO of Melaver, Inc., a third-generation, family-owned business based in Savannah, Georgia. Melaver, Inc.’s vision is to become a vertically-integrated, truly sustainable real estate company. Melaver Inc.’s triple-bottom line notion of sustainability harkens back to its predecessor days as a grocery business (1940 - 1985) deeply integrated into the needs of the local community. After selling the grocery business to Kroger in 1985, the company has focused its attention on doing real estate a different way, by attending to the overall health and well-being of land and community. Melaver, Inc. currently accounts for about 1% of all the LEED certifications1 in the U.S., including participation in three distinct pilot programs for sustainable development. The company’s renovation of The Whitaker Building was one of the first in the nation to be listed on The National Register of Historic Places and to be LEED certified. Melaver, Inc. developed Abercorn Common, the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the country, including the first LEED McDonald’s in the U.S. The company has also created one of the first sustainable real estate portfolios in the U.S. and has approximately 13 other LEED projects in the pipeline - office, hotel, residential, and retail - located in various communities throughout the Southeast. Other accomplishments include winning the Southface Institute’s annual Argon award for visionary leadership and stewardship of the environment (prior winners have included Ted Turner and Arthur Blank) and an Excellence in Development award from The Urban Land Institute. Martin grew up in Savannah, Georgia and received his BA from Amherst College. He holds a Masters and PhD from Harvard University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. He is a past Fulbright scholar to Tel Aviv University, a recipient of a Mellon fellowship to Jesus College, Cambridge University, and a Lady Davis Fellowship to Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Martin will be speaking on the topic Leading From the Heart

Jeff Mendelsohn, Founder and President, New Leaf Paper

Jeff Mendelsohn is the founder and president of New Leaf Paper, a company with the mission of driving a fundamental shift toward sustainability in the paper industry. Paper manufacturing is one of the most polluting and resource intensive industries in the world. Jeff envisions a complete redesign of the paper industry to incorporate the principles of sustainability, and is a frequent public speaker on this topic. He leads New Leaf Paper’s product innovation, creating a wid